<<Tomorrow IBM will announce IBM XWork
Server 8.5.3. The new server is part of the IBM Lotus Domino 8.5.3 family,
but with a completely different licensing approach, different branding,
and different packaging (installer). The new IBM XWork Server will be available
for ordering tomorrow, and the software release is scheduled for Friday,
October 7, in English. >>

There are several key extensions to
XPages as you can read in the announcement letter or on my
blog.

Another highlight for XPages developers
is the entitlement to some functionality in IBM Connections:

<<Entitlement to IBM Connections Files
and Profiles, for no additional charge, allows you to tap into the knowledge
of networks of professionals with a single click. This helps users to quickly
find skills within their organization and to easily share content with
other people and remove the need to send large files through email. >>

There is also a Taking
Notes podast with Ed Brill and
Peter Janzen about the new XWork Server and the new 8.5.3 functionality.
One of the key statements (34:30 mins) in this podcast comes from Ed Brill:
"This [XPages] is our key application development strategy within
the [IBM] Collobartions Solutions team".